Sunday, May 12, 2013

It is always interesting to step back and see what happens when similar events take place in Singapore and in other countries. How the authority reacts and what Singaporeans think of it. Malaysians around the world have reacted negatively to the election results and the rising use of racism among those in power to maintain their hold on the country. There is always hope for a country where the citizens are willing to overcome difficulties to bring about positive change

People in many other countries can identify with the basic human yearning for freedom, justice and democracy.

In Melbourne, the most livable city in the world, Australians express their solidarity with a group of young Malaysians in black protesting in Federation Square.

The same thing happened in Singapore and the reaction is somewhat different. I'm not talking about the police who first warned the protesters then later arrested 21 Malaysians for gathering at the Merlion Park yesterday - the police had little choice, they had to enforce Singapore's law otherwise they will be accused of double standards. The police had to do what they did.

Before we jump in and discuss this further, lets be clear about what the Malaysians did at Merlion Park. They gathered there at 5pm yesterday wearing black t-shirts, holding up a few signs and later sang the Malaysian anthem. There was no rowdy behavior, shouting or anything like that. Here is a picture of some of those involved in the protest.

The police had to arrest them because they have broken Singapore laws and Singaporeans have been arrested for lesser offenses of similar nature. I think the Malaysians who had been warned earlier expected to be arrested given the Singapore Police is known for its efficiency. These young people probably felt that it was worth doing even if they were arrested, sent to jail and expelled from Singapore.

Most of Singaporeans' comments resemble one of the following... If they want to protest, please go back to Malaysia. We cannot allow this kind protests because it will destabilise Singapore. They should be taught a lesson. Lets not be soft to foreigners.

"The Malaysians protesting and breaking our laws should be thrown into jail and barred from entering Singapore immediately.Singaporeans is not involved in your domestic problems Malaysians must learn to respect the law of each countries in which they do business, live, works or travel."- Arami Chong, Straits Times Reader.
A small number Singaporeans did say that the authorities shouldn't be so harsh a group of people who gathered peacefully and caused no damage to public property.

Does allowing people to protest peacefully undermine the security here? How many of you would hesitate to go to Melbourne because the allow both citizens and foreigners to protest there? Thousands of Singaporeans send their children to Melbourne for their studies every year....and they are not worried protests are allowed there.

Few Singaporeans bother to ask what is the intention of those involved in the protest at Merlion Park. This is the first thing you have to do before you jump in to condemn and accuse them of anything. Their intention is not to challenge our laws or our authorities or to disrupt the peace in this country. They feel strongly that there is a need for change in their home country and like all young people around the world they want a better future for themselves and their fellow countrymen. The response of many Singaporeans is we should treat these people as criminals and apply the harshest punishment. We must not forget that positive change comes from people standing up for what they believe is right and those who want to preserve the old order will use laws to suppress change for the better. The laws used against this group of Malaysians can also be used readily against Singaporeans when the time for change comes ....we have to look beyond the our harsh laws designed to limit our freedom to think about what is morally right and what is morally wrong. What is right is always worth supporting no matter how repessive the environment.

59 comments:

Anonymous
said...

This is why, Lucky, with this kind of stupid Sinkies, the PAP will stay in power for the next 50yrs.

I have read many comments from blogs like yours of TRE or the Real Singapore...., many of them anti-establishment. They always aim at the PAP but they real enemy is the 60%, Sinkies that made the ST comments that is holding the country back.

The problem S'poreans are facing all the while is that of widening income gap. M'sia on the other hand, is far trickier b/c of rampant corruption and racial issues being politicized at every turn. In short, we're seeing two different societies facing two different problems in general (although I agree with people stating income gap is a major problem caused as a result).

While we cannot fault our SPF for their decision to mobilise, I think the biggest problem you're trying to highlight is this: S'poreans in general, do NOT care about affairs beyond their backyard. So long as whatever issue don't bother them, they can't be bothered to answer back. Yet, they will react once they perceived a danger to their comfort zone. In a somewhat ironic sense, this is exactly the case on MP Zaqy's Terry Goodkind quote where people ended up getting riled up due to a knee jerk hysteria.

In short, this is nothing political in nature, but merely a case of how our society reacts to things not of our concern, be it for better or worse.

The Singapore police should uphold the law and not practise double standards. But is the law right in the first place? The principles and fundamentals are wrong if they are meant to protect the peace of the PAP. That's why we have absurd laws like one-man assembly. So just one Malaysian turning up in black will have constituted an illegal assembly and turned away before he can carry out an "illegal protest".

Singapore has more than 2 million foreigners here. The problem is if we allow protests by foreigners then there will be no end to it. It's kind of complicated as there are so many issues involving the two million people.

Sinkies are after all sinkies. Sinkies are gone case. Sinkies are derived from sink, hence sinkies have sunk onto the bottom of ocean. These no brain sinkies need Lucky to enlighten them, otherwise these sinkies will remain as idiots, continued to be manipulated by the sneaky harsh PAP.

Don't be draft, the Chinese Malaysians have the root of their anger in racial issues. Ask anyone on them and they'll tell you they really do feel the hope this time, and they think the majority of the Chinese are voting for the oppoposition this time.

Political rallies exploited this to the max. Every Chinese rally i watched on YouTube brings up how the Malaysian Chinese should defend their race and vote opposition .

But when the topic of a Chinese tsunami came up they strongly deny near to the 20% of the votes would affect the elections. And words start flying on how the race that pays 90% of the income taxes should be in charge of the govt and run things. How the bumis are dumb and rural population are uneducated but somehow rural Chinese are smart enough no to vote BN .

A lot of Singaporeans called for equality , and some protested for a better life at the Hong lim park white paper protest. A protest triggered by anger not only against the pap but the foreign worker population of which Malaysians are a large part of.

When Singaporeans cried for democracy during 2011 elections, we were ridiculed by the Malaysians , Malaysian Chinese especially,we were ridiculed called myopic . And they strongly voiced their concerns that we're getting more xenophobic and expressed strong support for the pap govt.

Come 2013 start to may first. We experienced the same level of support throughout when we wanted our voices heard.

And suddenly come may 5th , the Malaysians , Chinese malaysians cried for democracy here after they lost their elections. And wanted our support claiming democracy. Ignoring the voices of the other ,Malaysians who did not share the same taste in politics. Cried foul when you do not share their views.

Is it democracy? Or are they trying to starta racial war regardless of the consequences . A Malay ultra , know for being strongly anti Chinese, 2nd in BN, finance minister no less. Is suddenly the paragon for cleaning corruption? The messiah to save the Chinese race?

Is this what they want us to blindly support claiming?

Is that democracy ? Or simply long suppressed racial hatred Desperate for an outlet?

Our ways, right or wrong are a product of our society. This is how we react. For better or worse, it appears to be what we want as a people. That itself is a warped form of democracy. But my personal stand is , if you're a sinkie who desires democracy in Singapore , or supports democracy , why in the world would you support Malaysian Chinese who want to suppress democracy here? Or involve yourself in an undemocratic movement to deny the choices made in other countries.

These Malaysians are coward. Why? Because they dare not protest in JB. They know that the law is for singaporean only. The treatment they get from SPF will be less harsh if they were to do it in JB. After all JB is just half an hour away.

Melbourne has rallies and protests almost every week, with bigger multi-nationalities population than Singapore, it didn't destabilise the city. People have the rights to voice their concern, be it politics, healthcare or education.

Just a side note, the video was produced by a Singaporean, don't think he will be able to do the same in Singapore.

Thomas, melbourne does not have 40% foreigners lar of course won't destabilize lor. Here we have 2 million or 40% and they are so many issues could be race, nationality, language, religion, pay conditions and what have you. In fact if they really demonstrate, our SPF of 20,000 force can not manage the two million lar. They will be overwhelm in 5 minutes and all hell break loose

I felt I have to say this. Many Singaporeans are selfish. They always look after their own interest first before they look at others. That's why when we are not allowed to do something, we make sure others also cannot do so. We want others to sink with us. Instead of having a prosper thy neighbour mentality, many of my friends see Malaysia as a threat and that Singapore will not prosper if Malaysia does. They feel that if Anwar become PM, Singapore will be doomed. They prefer Najib so that Malaysia can remain corrupted and Singapore can "benefit" from it. These are the same people who will continually vote PAP because if they don't, the property bubble will burst and their HDB flat will become a lesser asset. Even if they have only one property, they bought it high and they expect others to pay the same price and be suckers like them.

Over heard in the news. High time to implement community laws to resolve neighborly disputes. Time to put some bites into the laws to stop nonsensical, stubbornly idiotic neighbors from their blatantly offensive ways because the community was rendered impotent or STUPID to follow their COMMON SENSE

This is called the sinkie's/loser's mentality. If I am drowning, I make sure everyone drown with me by sinking the entire ship. In army, this is the kind of camaraderie that is promoted. If one suffer, everyone must suffer. If one person makes a mistake, the whole platoon knock it down for that person. Doesn't it sound familiar to you?

It is very disturbing that 60% voters are sinkies. They sink, they sank, they sunk. And they want the 40% to sink with them like a rock to the bottom of the ocean, never to rise up to see daylight again. Singapore is moving backwards into a third world backwater country because we have so many of them here who is fit only to live in a third world country. And they deserve the kind of government they have because they voted for it.

The People of the Lion City do the Same Sin as the Beast.Lions destroy the cubs of other lions in order to propagate its' own pride.Beast it is as it is the Lion animal nature.For Sinkies, it is a nurtured characteristic.

When the Top is crooked, the Bottom will not be straight(上樑不正, 下樑歪), at least this is our Chinese belief.

There are two side of a coin. It is ok for malaysian to protest against its own govt as long as it is peaceful. However I doubt its effectiveness or probably they wanted to get international media attention by doing it in other countries. In Singapore such media attention is hopeless due to many restriction imposed on foreign media.

On the other hand, what if foreigners were protesting in Singapore not against their own govt but Singaporeans instead?

The latter will cause more harm than the former as it instil country divides which might lead to more disastrous outcome since we have 40% foreigners in Singapore. Needless to say, reckless immigrations have every reasons to be blamed for both the above scenarios.

Singapore will soon become a dangerous place to live in due to influx of foreign strangers.

Alot of Singaporeans' response mimic the same reasons regurgitated from PAP propaganda - it goes to show how successful the PAP manipulated educational system in Singapore has been in churning our model answer following Singaporeans.

This is what the PAP wants - Singaporeans who swallow their mantra fully without thinking for themselves much.

You seemed like a highly disturbed character, go see a doctor soon. Since you dun like sgporeans so much please move aside and make way for those that do. No need to worry that you will be missed; your absence from here wouldn't be noticed, we are ALL fine without you.

pap has an internet brigade to sanitise blogs and discussion forums. many people already know this. how big is it ? any idea ? those who read real singapore news online must have experienced their presence by now. Personally, i feel a lot of these comments by "singaporeans" are fabricated. Objective is to sanitise as well as direct readers discussion to the way they want. They are not genuine voices of the people.

Gang rape is democracy in action.Our democratic government have legalised corruption when it approved insane salaries to our ministers. Our democratic government has also passed laws to repress its citizens and suppress freedom of speech and freedom of the press.We are gang raped everyday by them till we think its ok.Now the Malaysians gathered at Merlion Park has been gang raped and we think that is also ok.

These Malaysians should know better than to protest in Singapore. Firstly, the Singapore government is not as accommodative as Australian government. Furthermore, PAP does not want Singaporeans to get any fancy ideas about public protest. Secondly, a large section of Singaporeans are inherently selfish, just looking after own self interest. That's how PAP will continue forever despite all the complains we see on the internet. I hope the Malaysians have learned their lesson and choose a more conducive location to protest next time.

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